The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the efficient display of inventory items that are large or awkward to handle when fully assembled.
Retailers have limited floor space in which to display their merchandise; hence they must use that space as efficiently as possible. The efficient usage of display floor space becomes problematic when displaying a representative assortment of inventory items that are large or bulky, such as furniture items, bicycles, etc. Exacerbating this problem is that fact that many models of such items are manufactured in a wide variety of colors or designs. For example, a single model of a reclining chair may be offered in units having an assortment of both color and upholstery variations.
Traditionally, retailers would simply display these bulky inventory items on a retail floor next to one another, so that customers could easily browse the retailer=s inventory and select a preferred unit. Unfortunately, with a limited amount of space, it is often not feasible to display every available color or design for each model, which may result in a missed sale.
An alternate method of displaying bulky inventory items uses a display rack or other structure to stack bulky inventory items above one another, thus utilizing vertical space as well as horizontal space. One example of such a display rack is disclosed by Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,424. Though such display racks utilize floor space somewhat more efficiently than simply displaying bulky items on a retail floor, frequently there is still insufficient space to display all the units that a retailer might desire. Furthermore, many of these bulky items are heavy and require a great deal of effort to lift onto, or off from, the display rack. Also, once such a rack is fully loaded, it is frequently difficult to move it around to make room for additional items.
What is needed, then, is a method or apparatus for efficiently displaying inventory items that are large or bulky, in such a way as to display many different color or design choices of a product using as little floor space as is feasible. It is further desired that the method or apparatus permit displayed items to be positioned or moved with little effort.